”~Inkwell~
“Princess Celestia, there has been an incident…” Inkwell spoke with a competence and politeness that transcended his age, bowing to the floor in front of the solar monarch.
“Please Inkwell, there is no need for formality now. What has occurred?”
Inkwell smirked to himself before he stood up, the smirk gone from his face once he rose. His face was that of neutrality, calm and restrained. One might call his expression the calm before the storm, as those under him had taken to calling it. “I fear that Nemesis has compromised one of our facilities. Manehattan, specifically.”
Princess Celestia gasped, holding a hoof to her muzzle. “I’ll have the guard combing the city straight away. Nothing of importance was lost, I hope?”
“Objects are hardly my concern Your Highness. You see, the particular facility he destroyed was one of healing. A place where we take our patients so that they may recover from what Nemesis has done to them.”
Princess Celestia’s face grew to one of horror. “You’re not saying…?”
“Many innocent lives were lost today, Your Highness. Many, many more were fatally wounded by attacks from Nemesis himself, and are living their last moments as we speak.”
Princess Celestia stood, her face hard as she gave Inkwell and the ponies around her a hard stare. “He must pay for what he has done today.”
Inkwell barely blinked an eye. “I wholeheartedly agree Your Highness, but I am afraid that today it is my duty to be a bearer of even more bad news.” He bowed his head, closing his eyes in a mock of a sad expression. When Princess Celestia said nothing, he continued. “I’m afraid your student, the other elements, and even your sister have fallen to the dreaded disease that Nemesis has brought down upon our fair Equestria.”
Princess Celestia could have been mistaken for a statue, just then. Her stance was still, unflinching. Within her though, rage was boiling. Preparing to burst forth and unleash a Solar Fury the likes of which nopony in the room had seen before. But Princess Celestia had long since learned to control her emotions, and though it was a difficult task, she capped off her anger before it could boil over.
“...What makes you say this?” princess Celestia asked in a quiet, measured voice.
“Many of my workers reported seeing your student in the facility, as well as some of the other elements, helping Nemesis to destroy it.” When he looked up again, Princess Celestia was staring down at him again.
“Why would she…?”
Inkwell bowed his head once more, the perfect example of respect. “Many strains of the disease are even still unknown, and we believe that empathy...perhaps even insanity, are side effects of it. For whatever reason your student was assisting our enemy, she may not have been in her right mind as she did.”
“And my sister? I thought Alicorns were immune to the virus Nemesis produced?”
“Very nearly, Your Highness.” Inkwell rose from his bowed position. “It is true, your kind are resistant to it, but not wholly immune. When in contact with the virus source for too long, or even when spending too much time around other infected…” Inkwell’s voice trailed off.
Princess Celestia’s eyes grew wide. “No...I can’t lose Luna again!” She began to trot off towards the throne room exit, but quickly found her way blocked by ponies in Ellura outfits, who were turned on by the guard.
Inkwell faced Princess Celestia now, a frown adorning his face. “I truly am sorry Your Highness, but it’s for your safety and the safety of others that we must cut off contact with you and the infected. if you were to become infected as well, it would spell disaster for everyone.”
Princess Celestia backed up, looking distraught. “My student my sister...will they become well again?”
Inkwell bowed his head. “As well as we can make them. They are heading towards Ponyville as we speak.”
Princess Celestia turned to face him. “What do you suggest we do, Inkwell?”
With his head bowed, Inkwell smiled. “Quarantine, Princess.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inkwell emerged from the throne room, the mask of neutrality adorning his features once more. He turned to a nearby guard, and spoke. “Inform your captain to have a squad ready to meet us outside of Ponyville in roughly 24 hours. Princess Celestia has decided to use the guard to assist us, and we are to capture nemesis, the Elements of Harmony, and Princess Luna by any means necessary.” The guard bowed his head and departed. Inkwell smiled. “...fools…”
He began his trip back to his office when his hoof bumped into something. He leaned down and inspected it before picking it up, and holding it in his hoof. It looked like a stone, but in its side, there was a strange design carved.
“”
Inkwell turned the strange object in his hoof before pocketing it, and deciding to deal with it later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~
Later that same night, Inkwell was thinking hard about how to progress from here. Their subject experimentation wing was all but gone, blown to smithereens by the interfering Nemesis. This had actually worked out in their favor, as now princess Celestia had given them government support and the entire royal guard was at their disposal.
Inkwell’s eyes wandered to the stone he had picked up earlier, which now laid on his desk. He sighed and picked it up in his hoof. The design didn’t make any sense, but as soon as he touched it, the very room itself seemed to darken, and a voice spoke to him, seemingly from everywhere at once.
"Those who have need of the shadows, who want to spread fear and desolation, who want a terror in the night, call on me, The Makuta, Emperor of the Shadows!"
Inkwell listened to the words once more, before he decided he had nothing to lose, and decided to divulge the strange words, if only to see what would happen.. “The Makuta, Emperor of Shadows,I have need of you. Hear my call, and come forth!”
Instantly, the room darkened even further, and a portal opened. He stared up… up… up, into two huge, glowing red eyes that stared down at him without any semblance of mercy or pity. Its whole body seemed… wrong, mechanical, unnatural even to him. It spoke, in the same deep, rumbling voice. “Well, well, well. I thought I would be summoned by a human, but you will do just as well… Inkwell, head of Ellura, who seeks to make a new world order with a virus from another dimension…”
Inkwell blinked, his eyes widened first in apprehensive fear, then simply in awe as the dark being before him recited his name and intentions as easily as if he were describing the back of his hoof.
The being (he supposed it was this ‘Emperor of Shadows’) idly tapped its massive, two-bladed staff. “You kidnap ponies and subject them to mutant strains of various viruses. I could use some of these… B.O.W.S of yours.”
Inkwell seemed to finally compose himself, clearing his throat before he spoke. “Well, I suppose I should be flattered that my name transcends my dimension alone, you know all of this about me, yet I do not know any one thing about you, mister…?” He let the unanswered question hang in the air.
The being looked at him as if he were an insect. “Teridax. And you aren’t that famous- I simply pulled the relevant information out of your head. Your mental defenses are non-existent. Truthfully, you are one of billions of similar beings who seek a new world order with this virus. This version of you may succeed, or you may fail. The multiverse ensures that every possibility is fully realised. Now, let’s talk business.”
Inkwell leaned back in his chair as Teridax mentioned business. This was something he was far more familiar with. “I suppose if you know so much about me and my company, then you also know about the thorn in our side. In business, it is often custom to have something in return for services gained.”
Teridax nodded. “Naturally. Come through to my dimension, I can show you my own laboratory.” With a wave, another hole was torn, leading into a darkened room. He waved a hand again, doing something or other in the room, then he beckoned. “I think you’ll like my work very much.”
Inkwell stood, walking towards the newly formed hole with apprehension. Though business was business, he was still unsure of this ‘Teridax’ character. But the promise of what was to come outweighed his fears, and he stepped through with newfound vigor.
Teridax led him to a pair of huge doors, which flew open. “I have incredible knowledge in many fields, Inkwell. Metallurgy, weapon crafting, painting, sculpture, literature, chemistry, biology… and of course, virology.”
The lab beyond was made of smooth black stone, with several benches. Large vats dotted the sides of the room, clear glass cases indicating bubbling green and blue fluids. Racks of test tubes, beakers, Bunsen Burners, frames, pipettes- everything conceivable.
Inkwell stared as Teridax continued. “I make viruses for fun. Usually, I can use them to create entirely new forms of life from simple biomatter.” He pulled out a large handful of grass and poured a red dust on it. After a bit, the grass developed mechanical apendages, almost insectile in nature and scuttled around like a crab, snarling with a whirring of gear-like teeth.
“The possibilities…” Inkwell sounded awed, seeing the intimidating figure in a new light.
Teridax nodded. “This… Nemesis. He’s the source of your original virus, correct?” He looked down at Inkwell. “Provide me with a small sample of his biomatter, and I can make you a specialised hunter. It’ll never stop chasing him, will have an increased healing factor, and will be totally obedient.”
Inkwell nodded. “And in return, you wish us to supply you with B.O.W.s?”
Teridax nodded. “About a hundred to start with should be fine. And with your original virus… if you want more stable results, I think I have the perfect tool for that.”
Inkwell nodded. “If this is the extent of what you have to offer us...I think the Ellura corporation can do business with you, Mr. Teridax.”
Teridax nodded back. “I’ll show you one tool I can make a decent quantity of.” He walked off, to the side of the room, and pulled a large steel object off the wall. He held it up- with its eyeholes, it looked vaguely like a mask. “This is the Mask of Mutation. I don’t know if it’ll work for you, but with this…”
He removed the mask he’d been wearing (and it was then that he realised that its insectile visage had been a mask) and put it on. He then focused on the tiny crab, concentrating. The crab squirmed, before growing an extra set of appendages. “I can make whatever mutative change I want, and reverse it as well.” He turned. “Interested?”
“Very. This...what you can do...it’s unheard of. Even WITH magic, the most advanced technology known to pony-kind couldn’t possibly…” He saw the irritated look on Teridax’s face and cleared his throat again. “I mean...yes. I am very interested.”
He didn’t smile. He didn’t have a mouth. But there was the impression of a smile. He removed the mask and handed it over. “It’s a deal. Give me the biomatter, and I’ll have your perfect hunter within a week. I’m not sure if the mask will work for you, please tell me if it doesn’t.”
The portal opened again, and he beckoned through. “Have a good evening, Inkwell. I’ll know when you have the biomatter. I watch all of my allies closely…”
If the last statement had meant to be a threat as much as it was a statement, it surely worked. Inkwell clutched the mask close, nodding rapidly before exiting through the portal, a wide grin on his face.